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Sean LaPointe

Sean is a personal finance writer with a strong passion for helping others become more financially literate and make better financial decisions. He covers everything from credit cards to savings to investing.

Recent Articles

Personal Finance

5 tips to help pick dividend stocks for income

| Sean LaPointe

Dividend stocks can be great for generating passive income. Here are five top tips for picking the right dividend stocks…

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Streets of terraced houses from above
Personal Finance

Where is the best place to buy your first home in the UK?

| Sean LaPointe

Looking to buy your first home and wondering where is the best place to do it in the current market?…

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Young casual man and girl using laptop while looking at invoice and plan the budget to save.
Personal Finance

Why are men more likely to take out loans than women?

| Sean LaPointe

New research shows that men are more likely to take out loans than women. We take a look at the…

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Road trip. Father and son travelling together by car
Personal Finance

Auto Trader shares beat the rest of the LSE last week

| Sean LaPointe

Growth in demand for used cars made Auto Trader Group shares the best performing shares in the LSE last week.…

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estate agent welcoming a couple to house viewing
Personal Finance

5 of the UK’s best locations for first-time buyers

| Sean LaPointe

Purplebricks has released a new heat map highlighting the best places in the UK for first-time buyers to get on…

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One million celebration illustration.
Personal Finance

How to enter Nationwide’s new monthly £1m prize draw

| Sean LaPointe

Nationwide has launched a £1 million monthly prize draw, giving members a chance to win up to £100,000 every month.…

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Two women friends sightseeing in summer while on vacation.
Personal Finance

How to avoid joining the 55k who overpaid their student loans last year

| Sean LaPointe

Close to 55k graduates overpaid their student loans in 2019/2020. Find out how you can avoid overpaying your student loans…

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Typical street lined with terraced houses and parked cars
Personal Finance

Why a bad credit score can cost you over £35k extra when financing a car

| Sean LaPointe

We look at how much a bad credit score could cost you when financing a new car and what you…

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Sold sign displayed outside a terraced house
Personal Finance

Is a housing crash coming?

| Sean LaPointe

The UK property market is still on a hot streak, with house prices reaching record highs in April. But could…

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Jar filled with coins
Personal Finance

4 tips to turn a staycation into a savecation

| Sean LaPointe

Has Covid ruined your plans for a summer holiday abroad? Here is how to convert a 'staycation' into a 'savecation'…

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For Sale sign displayed outside a terraced house
Personal Finance

Will house prices drop after the stamp duty holiday?

| Sean LaPointe

The stamp duty holiday will expire at the end of June 2021. Could this cause house prices to tumble? We…

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Road trip. Father and son travelling together by car
Personal Finance

Have you tried this ‘trick’ to lower your car insurance?

| Sean LaPointe

Are your car insurance premiums leaving you out of pocket? This one trick could help lower your car insurance costs…

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Woman pulling baffled face
Personal Finance

What is a mortgage? Almost half of Brits don’t know!

| Sean LaPointe

New research from Lowell shows that half of Brits do not understand what a mortgage is. We take a closer…

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Vacation travel planning concept with map.
Personal Finance

10 tips to save up to £1,301 for travelling!

| Sean LaPointe

Looking for some easy ways to save money for travelling? Here are 10 of them to help you get closer…

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happy senior couple using a laptop in their living room to look at their financial budgets
Personal Finance

How much State Pension will I get at 66?

| Sean LaPointe

The State pension is an important source of retirement income for many retirees in the UK. We take a look…

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Hand holding pound notes
Personal Finance

UK banks pledge to support access to cash

| Sean LaPointe

Major UK banking institutions are working together to ensure that cash-reliant businesses and consumers don’t face problems getting access to…

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3D Word IPO with Target on Chalkboard Background
Personal Finance

8 upcoming UK IPOs

| Sean LaPointe

IPOs have been the talk of the town in the UK recently. We take a look at eight upcoming IPOs…

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Elderly man giving a Christmas present to his wife
Personal Finance

Food subscription gifts saw a 110% increase in interest in 2020!

| Sean LaPointe

Food subscription gifts saw a 110% increase in 2020 as Brits sought new ways to celebrate and spoil each other…

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Dice engraved with the words buy and sell
Personal Finance

Stock market rally: investors warned to brace themselves for a correction

| Sean LaPointe

According to experts, the recent stock market rally has triggered warning signs of a correction. We take a look at…

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Concentrated young african american black guy sitting on heated floor at modern coffee table in living room, looking at laptop screen
Personal Finance

What to beware with high-interest savings accounts

| Sean LaPointe

Looking for a high-interest savings account? Now could be a good time to get one. We take a look at…

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a couple embrace in front of their new home
Personal Finance

How millennials could save enough for a first house

| Sean LaPointe

If you are a millennial currently struggling to get on the property ladder, these tips could help you save for…

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happy senior couple using a laptop in their living room to look at their financial budgets
Personal Finance

What is the average UK State Pension?

| Sean LaPointe

The UK State Pension is an important part of retirement income for many retirees. But what is the average payout?…

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Streets of terraced houses from above
Personal Finance

House sales: bumper month for estate agents as dwindling supply pushes prices up

| Sean LaPointe

Estate agents enjoyed a phenomenal month for house sales in April. But with demand outstripping supply, how have prices been…

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Anxious young man biting his nails fingers
Personal Finance

Consumer fear: how it affects trading and how to limit its impact

| Sean LaPointe

Consumer fear is rife during these times of Covid-19. We look at how fear can impact trading decisions and how…

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Middle age senior woman sitting at the table at home working using computer laptop clueless and confused expression with arms and hands raised.
Personal Finance

What’s a good credit score for a mortgage?

| Sean LaPointe

Planning to buy a house? Wondering how good your credit score needs to be to qualify for a mortgage? Here…

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Personal Finance

Universal Credit fraud and error hits record high

| Sean LaPointe

Cases of Universal Credit fraud and error have reached record levels. We look at why it's happening and how you…

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Dice engraved with the words buy and sell
Personal Finance

These are the current constituents of the FTSE 100

| Sean LaPointe

The FTSE 100 is an index of the top 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange by market cap. Discover…

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African American woman working in home office
Personal Finance

Can I be denied a job due to bad credit?

| Sean LaPointe

What impact does your credit history have on your job prospects? Can you be denied a job opportunity due to…

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Personal Finance

US inflation rises at its fastest rate since 2008

| Sean LaPointe

US inflation surged higher than expected in April as economic recovery gained momentum. We look at whether the UK could…

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Cropped shot of a senior woman looking upset after an argument with her husband
Personal Finance

More than 100,000 over-80s wrongly missing out on State Pension

| Sean LaPointe

Thousands of over-80s in the UK could be missing out on State Pension payments because they haven’t been told they're…

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a young couple celebrate getting the keys to their new home by taking a selfie in the garden
Personal Finance

Why more first-time buyers are funding their own deposits

| Sean LaPointe

New research shows that a growing number of first-time buyers are funding their deposit for a home without outside help.…

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Stack of new one pound coins
Personal Finance

Pound sterling rises as prospects of second Scotland referendum fade

| Sean LaPointe

The pound has risen sharply following last week’s Scottish election result. We take a look at why this has happened…

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One English pound placed on a graph to represent an economic down turn
Personal Finance

Why is the FTSE 100 rising?

| Sean LaPointe

The FTSE 100 is a share index of the 100 most valuable publicly traded companies in the UK. It's been…

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Aircraft wind on the sunrise sky background.
Personal Finance

Why holiday costs are set to go up this summer

| Sean LaPointe

International holiday costs are set to rise this summer due to pent-up demand and fewer aeroplanes in service. Read on…

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Business man on stock market crash financial trade indicator background.
Personal Finance

Freetrade thinks these 3 investment trusts for emerging markets are worth a second look

| Sean LaPointe

Are you aiming to diversify your portfolio with foreign stocks? Here are 3 emerging markets investment trusts that Freetrade thinks…

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Close up of credit cards over grey background
Personal Finance

Deliveroo partners with American Express for £10 monthly vouchers

| Sean LaPointe

Amex has partnered with Deliveroo to offer £10 worth of vouchers each month to holders of the Amex Preferred Rewards…

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Cheerful mature couple sitting and managing expenses at home.
Personal Finance

UK State Pension: how to check how much you’ll get

| Sean LaPointe

Are you wondering how much State Pension you'll get when you retire? Here is a useful guide on how to…

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African American woman working in home office
Personal Finance

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) fourth grant: How can I apply?

| Sean LaPointe

The fourth Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant is now open for applications. Here's everything you need to know to…

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Image of person checking their shares portfolio on mobile phone and computer
Personal Finance

Can I buy shares in Dianomi?

| Sean LaPointe

Digital advertising firm Dianomi has announced plans for a stock market float in London. We take a look at whether…

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Blue question mark background and dark space
Personal Finance

All you need to know about Warren Buffett’s successor at Berkshire Hathaway

| Sean LaPointe

Greg Abel, Berkshire Hathaway's vice-chairman, has been confirmed as Warren Buffett's successor. Here's everything you need to know about the…

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